Last Updated on 10 January 2022 by Colette
As the Lockdown is steadily easing – bubbles are being formed, socially distanced meetings of small groups in outdoor spaces are allowed, shops are starting to reopen – we are all feeling the need to stretch our legs, to get out and about more with friends or family and to feel the sunshine on our faces. Somewhere we were keen to be able to visit from very early on in Lockdown was the beach – and I know from my conversations on social media that lots of you feel the same.
We had planned a trip to the beach for my birthday – well, initially we had planned a spa day but that quickly went to pot and once the schools were closed we thought maybe a seaside walk and some chips would be a nice way to spend that day, however full Lockdown was announced the night before my birthday and as it was, we weren’t allowed to go anywhere at all. This left me hankering for a trip to the coast from the very start. There’s something about all the open space and vast expanses of water that does my head space a lot of good so it was the first place I found myself wanting to visit once we were trapped in our homes for the foreseeable.
I had been quite nervous about visiting the coast once Lockdown began to ease and we were allowed to travel more. Most importantly, I didn’t want to be someone who was travelling any sort of distance to visit somewhere only to contribute to making it too busy / unsafe for local residents. Further to that, I worried that it was a long way to go (just over an hour away) if we found it was too busy and had to come home again.
However, I know from experience that even on the busiest, sunniest days when we’ve been to Lytham, we’ve always found there to be plenty of space – partly due to the fact the tide is so far out that the beach itself feels never ending. (Don’t go to Lytham St Annes expecting to paddle . . . It took Dave and the kids half an hour to walk out to the sea at the weekend – it’s the first time they’ve ever done it!)
I wanted to share some tips for visiting Lytham Saint Annes as Lockdown eases and social distancing guidelines remain in place:
1. Get there early while the beach is still super quiet – if I’m honest this is a tip for visiting at any time – we always get set off as soon as we can so that we know we won’t struggle for parking! (That said, I did have a chat with a lady on instagram at the weekend who also recommended going early evening when the tide is in for a sunset paddle which frankly sounds gorgeous!) Basically avoid turning up in the middle of the day!
2. Set yourselves up on the right hand side of the pier (St Anne’s beach) – there is FAR more room there – even later in the day as it got busier there was still plenty of space to maintain huge distances. (Again I’d recommend this at any time – we never sit to the left of the pier as it’s always much busier – presumably due to proximity to toilets and refreshments etc as well as deckchair hire.)
3. Take food to avoid queuing for chips – generally when we’re visiting Lytham, we take a picnic but this time we decided to go with chips – partly due to being lazy and partly to avoid the temptation to share food. If you want to avoid people and queues, then take your own food & drinks. However, the queues for the chip shop and ice creams are well managed with a one way system, barriers and staff guiding people to the shops and helping to maintain social distancing.
4. The toilets next to the paddling pool are open but the queue was quite long – make sure you’ve got hand sanitiser ready (or just try to avoid them if you can hold it in!)
5. Although the beach itself didn’t feel too busy, it was quite busy up on the front, near the top of the pier. Mostly this was people queuing for chips and ice cream or just generally milling around – again, taking your own refreshments will avoid you having to get involved in this but there was no way we were getting our kids away from the seaside without an obligatory ice cream!
6. The paddling pool near the pier is obviously closed but does make a good place to sit and have your ice cream out of people’s way. We were able to find benches for the adults to sit and the kids chose to sit in the empty paddling pool, of course.
7. Have fun!
Why not read these posts next:
Check out our favourite outdoor clothing brands here
Find out more about our favourite beaches near Manchester
Get your kids to start carrying their own kit in one of our recommended backpacks
Read our tips for visiting Formby here
If you have enjoyed this post and found it helpful, here are a few ways you can say thanks and support We’re going on an adventure:
Click here to buy me a virtual coffee – it’s like a little tip jar but with caffeine!
I’d love for you to tag me in any photos of your adventures on Social Media if one of my posts has inspired you to visit
Click here to leave We’re going on an adventure a Google Review
Share this post with your friends – you’ll be helping me and them!
